Full text of G.16 Retail Furniture Report : March 7, 1956

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BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
March 7, 1956

Cr.l6

RETAIL FURNITURE REPORT FOR JANUARY 1956

,

Instalment accounts outstanding at furniture stores declined
3 per cent during January, a month in which some decrease is usual.
Outstanding balances continued about 7 per cent above a year earlier.
Collections amounted to about 12 per cent of firist-of-month receivables, 1 point above December and the same as January of last year.
Sales of all types decreased sharply from December to
January, as is usual for this time of year. Compared with a year
ago, however, all types of sales were higher—instalment sales by
9 per cent, charge-account sales, by 6 per cent, and cash sales by
1 per cent.
The retail value of furniture store inventories at the end
of January was unchanged from a month earlier, but, compared with a
year ago, was up about 9 per cent. Stocks on hand amounted to about
a 5 months' supply at the January rate of sales.

Furniture Store Statistics for January 1956
Percentage change from:
Year
Month j
ago
age
i

Item
Net sales during month
Total
Cash
Instalment
Charge account
Accounts receivable, at end of month
Total
Instalment
Charge account
Inventories, end of month, at retail value

-40
-1*3
-41
-31

1

+
+
+
+

5
3
-10

1
1

|

0

1
z-

Jan. 1 Dec.
1956 j 1955
Collection ratios on instalment accounts 1/

12

i

11

7
1
9
6

+ 9
+-?
+12
+ 9
Jan.
1955
12

1/ Collections during month aa percentage of accounts outstanding at
beginning of month.




G.16

-

2

-

RETAIL FURNITURE STORES - JANUARY 1956
Sales "by Type of Transaction
(Percentage changes)
Total net sales Cash 1sales
Month Year
Month Year
ago
ago
ago

Federal
Reserve
District
Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Richmond
Atlanta
Chicago
St. Louis
Minneapolis
Kansas City
Dallas
Sen Francisco

-37
-51
-47
-44
-43
-47
-36
-1*9
-28
-33
-39
-28

U. S. Total

i

-40

Instalment |Charge-account
sales
i
sales
Month Year | Month Year
ago
ago
ago
ago

- 1
+16
+12
+10
+10
+ 4
+ 6
- 7
+10
+ 3
+ 4
+ 9

-46
-45
-48
-56
-43
-51
-38
-49
-45
-36
-43
-33

-11
-27
+1&
-55
+ 2
-48
-13
-43
+ 1
-47
-47
- 3
- 2 . -36
-48
-9
-26
0
- 6
-29
+ 1
-39
4 8
-28

+ 7

-43

+ 1

+ 1
+16
+14
+13
+10
+ 5
+ 9
- 3
+ 5 1
+ 8 i
+ 2
+10 j

Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Richmond
Atlanta
Chicago
St. Louis
Minneapolis
Kansas City
Dallas
San Francisco
U. S. Total




-«•

+ 4
0
+ 6
+ 7
+11
+14
+10
+13
+10
- 3
+15
+ 8 J

- 3

"1

-4
-4
- 5
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 5
- 3 -2
-2

Inventories,
end of month,
at retail value
Month
Year
ago
ago
+
+
+
+
+
+
-

,
|
|
,
|
|
|
j
i
i
1

Instalment Accounts Receivable and Inventories
(Percentage changes)
j Instalment
1 receivables,
end of month
Month
Year
ago
ago

i|
iI

-

1

+11
+14
-6
+12.
+ 8+ 4
-12
+54
0
+ 7
+ 7

+ 9 | -31 | + 6

-41
I

Federal
Reserve
District

-38
-14
-41
-52
-28
-41
-25
-50
-20
-36
-37
-25

1
5
2
1
3
2
1
2
2
2
0
0

+ 8
+ 8
+ 9
+ 3
+16
- 3
+ 8
+13
+ 8
+ 7
+ 8
+20

0

+ 9